


Six Authors in Search of—

by greywash



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: 'Speculation' implies I have a horse in this race, (also sort of), (sort of), Authorship, Drabble Collection, Episode tag for 04x01, F/M, Gen, Identity, M/M, Magic, Rampant and Unfounded Speculation, Speculation? Not even speculation, Storytelling, Which I do not, With apologies to Pirandello, five things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-16 01:11:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17539844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greywash/pseuds/greywash
Summary: —a Flock of Lost Birds.





	Six Authors in Search of—

**Author's Note:**

> For the post-04x01 prompt at [**themagiciansreccenter**](https://themagiciansreccenter.tumblr.com), "[Identity](https://themagiciansreccenter.tumblr.com/post/182277675067/season-four-is-here-the-wait-is-finally-over-how)," and general spoilers for that episode. Re: the drabbles' drabble-ness—I'm going by Scrivener word counts (in part because AO3 doesn't show you word counts on drafts), and Scrivener does believe each of these, minus meta text and HTML tags, to be exactly 100 words.
> 
> No warnings for this one. My full warning policy is [in my profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/users/greywash/profile#warnings), and you are always welcome to [privately email me](mailto:greywash@gmail.com) with more specific warning-related questions.

### 1\. 14 December 2003: Burbank, California.

"Man, _fuck_ Cartoon Network," Mom says, banging in, "we're getting pizza"; as jerking Todd slams his sketchbook shut. "Don't worry, I won't look," she says, "unless you want me to. What're you working on this time?"

"Um—it's sort of—a thriller, I guess? With magic. " He spins his pencil out over his fingers, then has to go scrabbling under the table when he drops it. "It's about. Secret identities and stuff." He hesitates, just for a second. "I mean, you can look, if you want."

She smiles. "Yeah?"

Todd hunches. "I could use an expert's advice on the shading?"

 

 

 

### 2\. 4 April 2018: Blackspire, Beneath Fillory.

"Twenty-four hours," Quentin mutters; "Yeah," Eliot says, touching his cheek, "twenty-four fucking—"

Quentin swallows. "I can already—I can _feel_ him, I already—" He breathes in deep. "I'm losing—I have a lot of feelings about _Beowulf_?" he admits.

Eliot squints. "New feelings?"

"Well, I'm feeling _even judgier_ about your shoes than usual, _Brian_ ," Margo snaps, "which means we're on the clock, and the two of you don't have time for your whole fucking—star-crossed Romeo and Julian _thing_ ," arms folding tight-tight-tight around her middle, "so if you've got any bright fucking ideas, I would fucking _love_ to hear them."

 

 

 

### 3\. 27 October 2018: Brakebills, New York.

"—but for some reason, I'm not crazy about the idea of." Kim takes a breath. "Getting summoned into a magical universe from which I then just—flunk out, so." She hunches. "Is there, like—a tutoring center, or."

Henry sits back, considering. "Ms. D'Antoni. What do you do to relax?"

" _Relax?_ " 

"Do you think anxiety _helps_?" 

"So you think I should... go running?" She laughs, incredulous. "Meditate? _Paint watercolors_?"

"I'm fond of graphic novels, myself." He pauses. "I believe some of my work may have found its way into the library, in fact, should it happen to be of interest."

 

 

 

### 4\. 12 December 2018: In Lockup, The Library (Neitherlands Branch).

At lunch it'd been another forty minutes of bacon and sympathy and Librarian Bitch's faux-maternal concern, but at least she'd brought more paper. _Lorem ipsum_ , Alice writes, in a dialogue bubble, _dolor sit amet, consectetur_ —: and then flips her mattress over to copy out their best guess at the next permutation of the sigil, and passes the sheet through the grate for Nick to color in.

"It's an interesting idea," Nick says. "But we still do have to get it out, for the charm to activate."

"Well." Alice takes a breath. "She _did_ want me to immerse myself in something."

 

 

 

### 5\. 19 Boole 810274 [Order-Wide Logico-Decimal Calendar, 14th Revision]: Evening Staff and Inter-Library Loan Transport, Neitherlands Station.

"Apologies." Zelda stops the door with her hand. "I have a late arrival." Smiling.

It only takes a moment. The returns console was recently redesigned for efficient use. Under _Special Circumstances_ , Zelda selects, _Library markers destroyed or damaged_ ; and then sets the owning ILL facility to _Central Library, Seattle, WA_.

 _Is this book overdue?_ it asks.

Zelda considers. _She'd_ not mishandle a library book; but—the unbroken spine, the still-shiny cover—: _Yes_ , she selects.

 _Please specify original due date for corrective temporal transit_ , the console requests; and Zelda carefully enters, _December 30, 2005_.

There. Surely that's enough of a chance?

 

 

 

### 6\. No Time Whatsoever: Breakroom, The Library (Underworld Branch). 

"Book club tonight!" Kathy trills.

"Yeah, I." Penny flips Kady's book shut, heart pounding. "Tonight I've got—um, listen, does anyone around here, like, actually _make_ books? Or just. Shelve them."

"Make books," Kathy echoes, blankly.

"Yeah, you know, like." He takes a breath. "I mean—you're all nerds, at least some of you must've had a thwarted literary career, right?"

Kathy's eyes widen. She darts a look over at Howard and Ramatla, then whispers, "Do you mean... _fan fiction_?"

Penny looks at her. "I'm sure I'm going to regret this," he says, "but yes. That's exactly what I mean."

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I lifted "Romeo and Julian" straight from _Upstart Crow_. Zero apologies.


End file.
